Infants requiring mechanical ventilation (assisted breathing) are commonly treated by endotracheal intubation, wherein a flexible tube is inserted into the mouth, down the throat and through the lumen of the trachea a predetermined distance, to deliver oxygen to the lungs. In addition, flexible feeding tubes may also be inserted through the nose or mouth, passing through the esophagus, and terminating in the stomach or lower intestinal tract.
Serious complications can result from accidental extubation (dislodgment) of these tubes, including acute hypoxia, bradycardia, and long term laryngaltracheal damage from reintubation. Therefore, it is critical to prevent accidental extubation. Traditionally, stabilization to prevent accidental extubation has been accomplished by securing the tube to the face by wrapping an adhesive tape around the tube and adhering the tape ends to the patient's face.
However, adhesive tape stabilization methods provide poor fixation, allowing the tube to move when the skin is stretched. The tape obstructs the face, has the potential to obstruct the nasal openings, and loosens with time. Tape is difficult to remove and reapply when adjustments to the tubes are required, often causing injuries to the skin by stripping away the epidermis, especially in premature infants. Tape adhesion methods have a further disadvantage, in that nasal and oral secretions are absorbed by the tape, causing the tape to lose adhesion and loosen, while contaminating the tape with microbial organisms that could colonize the patient and gain direct access to the lung via the endotracheal tube and cause pneumonia.
Mechanical ventilation applies a pulling force on the tubing. As a result of this pulling force, an improperly stabilized tube may cause pain and discomfort if the tube slides up and down within the trachea, especially if it hits against the bifurcation of the trachea. Moreover, if the tube protruding outside the patient kinks, gas flow will be obstructed. Movement of the tube may cause it to extend and enter the right main bronchus, effectively removing the supply of oxygen to the left lung, or it may extubate completely, removing the supply of oxygen entirely. Such movement of the endotracheal tube in a small premature infant is a major clinical problem. In these patients the trachea is so short there may be only a few millimeters of discretionary tube movement before one of the above complications ensues.
Systems used to increase tube stabilization and limit tube movement have included bite block and neck strap combinations to fix the tube in position; a band extending across and adhered to the full width of the infant's face, wherein the band contains tube-receiving receptacles at predetermined locations; adhesive straps with a central opening over the mouth and containing various tube locking means; and a flexible bar placed above the mouth and adhered to the infant's cheeks.
With the exception of the bar, these known stabilization attempts have covered the patient's mouth and portions of the tube, making oral hygiene and tube visualization difficult. These devices further require the endotracheal tube be placed within the device prior to intubation, thereby blocking the clinician's visualization of the trachea and increasing the difficulty of successfully placing the tube in its desired location, making the device potentially dangerous.
While known bar stabilization systems do not have the foregoing disadvantages, these known bar systems rely solely on adhesion through cheek pads which have no mechanical clasping. Therefore, the bar is permitted to torque, allowing for excessive movement of the bar and excessive movement of the attached tube. Additionally, the tube can rotate around the bar, allowing it to kink in the patient's larynx, restricting air flow, or placing extended tube pressure on the palate, causing interference with normal palatal development.
In an attempt to relieve palatal pressure, plates have been designed to rest on the tube to prevent extended tube contact with the palate. However, these plates interfere with oral hygiene and are difficult and clumsy to place properly.
What is needed is a stabilization method that allows for securing tracheal and/or gastric tubes and other medical devices without applying tape to the face, maintains visibility of tube markings, and keeps the infant's face visible to parents and caregivers. It should also prevent kinking of the tube and allow for attachment of additional anchorage when heavier loads (such as nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) prongs) are applied, and prevent oral secretions from collecting and interfering with adhesion and/or causing infection.
By conceiving a method to stabilize medical devices that enter or cover the nose and/or mouth using mechanical advantage along with adhesives, the present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.